WHAT'S ON TODAY

By KATHRYN SHATTUCK

Published: August 8, 2009

10 P.M. (HBO) GEORGE LOPEZ: TALL, DARK & CHICANO In his second HBO stand-up special, taped in November at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Mr. Lopez, right, gets riled up about change in America, children and parents, Barack Obama, sagging body parts, sexual frustration, trendy names and rednecks who date Latinas.

8 P.M. (Logo) RED WITHOUT BLUE Though their early childhood was idyllic, by 14 the identical twins Alex and Mark Farley had lived through their parents' divorce, declared their homosexuality, done drugs, been assaulted by a pedophile and attempted suicide together, after which they were forcibly separated for two and a half years. This documentary, filmed across three years by Brooke Sebold and Benita and Todd Sills, follows Alex's transition into Clair, a transgender woman; Mark's subsequent feelings of betrayal; and their attempt to reassert their bond as twins.

8 P.M. (HBO) TROPIC THUNDER (2008) In this spoof of Hollywood directed by and starring Ben Stiller, he and Robert Downey Jr. play pampered actors filming a war movie that turns real. Writing in The New York Times, Manohla Dargis called the movie ''a flashy, nasty, on-and-off funny and assaultive sendup of the film industry.''

9 P.M. (Showtime) LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (2007) Lars, a sensitive loner (Ryan Gosling, left), forms an emotional bond with Bianca, a life-size sex doll, and soon she's attending school-board meetings and being invited to dinner by well-meaning townsfolk. Paul Schneider and Emily Mortimer play Lars's incredulous brother and sister-in-law, who suggest he and Bianca attend counseling. Kelli Garner is Margo, the real, live woman who catches Lars's eye -- though he'd never cheat on Bianca. Mr. Gosling earned a Golden Globe nomination for best actor; Nancy Oliver got an Oscar nod for her screenplay.

9 P.M. (BBC America) BEING HUMAN Annie (Lenora Crichlow) meets a ghost who's happy being one and decides that her limbo state means there's something unresolved about her death. George (Russell Tovey) tries to stay away from an alluring colleague because he doesn't think being a werewolf and dating will mix. But he starts to rethink his decision as the full moon nears.

9 P.M. (CMT) CAN YOU DUET? The established duo Steel Magnolia, right, and J B Rocket, whose members were paired on the show, perform original songs in this season finale for a chance to record an album for Big Machine Records. Naomi Judd; Big Kenny of Big & Rich; and Scott Borchetta, the president of Big Machine, are the judges.

9 P.M. (HGTV) COLOR SPLASH In this Season 6 premiere the designer David Bromstad turns Patty Dingle's snooze of a San Francisco kitchen into an artsy haven filled with organic, eye-popping elements.

9 P.M. (Syfy) INFESTATION (2009) An office slacker (Chris Marquette) awakens in a cocoon spun by enormous alien insects with a taste for flesh. Once he is unwrapped, he discovers he has company -- enough for an army.

9 P.M. (NBC) FACE THE ACE An Illinois truck driver puts on his best poker face to go up against top professional players in a match of no-limit Texas hold 'em for a chance at $1 million. Steve Schirripa (''The Sopranos'') is host.

9 P.M. (Style) SPLIT ENDS This hairstyling competition's fifth season revs up with the first ''group swap,'' in which stylists from the Shi Salon in St. Louis trade places -- and clients -- with those from Elgin Charles in Beverly Hills, Calif. The series winner will receive $10,000 and a magazine feature.

10 P.M. (ABC) DIRTY SEXY MONEY He'll get to the bottom of it yet: Simon (Blair Underwood) may be nursing some serious stab wounds in this series finale, but that doesn't stop Nick (Peter Krause) from interrogating him about his control over Nola (Lucy Liu) and why he had her prosecute Letitia (Jill Clayburgh) for Dutch's murder. KATHRYN SHATTUCK